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JAPAN’S RECOGNITION OF THE PHILIPPINES AS A COUNTRY WITH CONFIRMED HACCP CERTIFIED MEAT ESTABLISHMENTS
The Philippines was confirmed and included by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW) in its list of certified countries that reliably take Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) based hygiene management on May 26, 2021. Under Japan’s Food Sanitation Law, only meat manufactured with HACCP-based hygiene management can be imported into their country.
The Philippines has been exporting chicken meat to Japan, but as a result of this new recognition, we are now eligible to export beef, carabeef, pork, chevon, mutton, and their by-products to Japan. The MHLW has also notified its quarantine stations for the acceptance of the health certificates of the different meat commodities.
NMIS’S OWN VERSION OF COMMUNITY PANTRY
A community pantry containing different vegetables was set up in front of the Laboratory Division of the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) on May 10, 2021.
According to Dr. January M. Nones, head of the Laboratory Division, the community pantry will run until supplies last. “It will probably be there within the day only,” she added. The organizers, which is the Laboratory Division, said that this is their way of sharing their blessings with the NMIS family.
The community pantry, inspired by the popular community pantries set up all over the country, contains vegetables such as tomatoes, sayote, string beans, eggplants, pumpkins, okra, bitter gourds, and radishes. This vegetable community pantry was put together by the utility staff of NMIS. They started letting people get vegetables from the community pantry at 2 in the afternoon. Utility and security personnel and drivers were the first ones to be accommodated, followed by the rest of the NMIS employees who reported onsite that day.
NMIS TO STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIP WITH LGUs
Dr. Jocelyn A. Salvador, OIC Executive Director of the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), in a meeting held on February 9, 2021 at her office, stated that she wants to strengthen NMIS’ relationship with Local Government Units (LGUs). She wanted the NMIS - Regional Technical Operation Centers (RTOCs) to actively coordinate with the LGU’s food safety programs and activities as a way of elevating meat safety measures along the food chain.
NMIS GOES DIGITAL AUTOMATION FOR ITS LICENSING APPLICATION
The National Meat Inspection Service launched on March 10 at the NMIS SHE Hall the NMIS Accreditation and Registration Information System, an online application system for the issuance of license to operate for meat establishments such as slaughterhouses, poultry dressing plants, meat cutting plants, and cold storages and warehouse. The NARIS hopes to establish an effective practice and efficient turn-around of the delivery of licensing services by the NMIS.
